Gallier Hall to undergo $15M renovation

An iconic building in Downtown New Orleans is getting a multimillion dollar facelift. In August of last year, Gallier Hall on St. Charles Avenue suffered some damage to the exterior when part of the building's cornice fell to the ground leading to repairs.

Now the more than 160-year-old building will be undergoing a $15 million renovation. The plan is to have it fully restored in time for the city's tricentenial celebration in in 2018.

"In addition to bringing people together around supporting New Orleans as a whole, we want to create a lasting legacy that people will remember what the 300th Anniversary means, and there's no more fitting example than this building that stands behind me," said Cheryl Landrieu at Wednesday's announcement.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu introduced the Gallier Hall Preservation Committee, which is a team of people charged with leading efforts to restore the historic building. The city's first lady, Cheryl Landrieu, is leading the team.

Public funds will be used for the exterior, which is about $10 million of the necessary repairs. That includes outfitting it with a material called tuckahoe marble. Right now, the stone on the exterior is cracking and there is corrosion on the front on the building.

The committee will begin a fundraising drive to generate the remaining $5-million to renovate the interior. That includes restoring historic paintings, frames and mirrors, chandeliers, stairways and furnishings.

"There's beautiful millwork, and paintings and chandeliers that all need to be restored, and some of it's been neglected over time. So what we're hoping to do with this initiative is to bring people together to kind of showcase this as being the legacy of the 300th anniversary," Cheryl Landrieu said.

The building is named after prominent New Orleans architect James Gallier who began construction on it in 1845. It served as City Hall for more than a century. The committee expect they will be ready to re-open the doors in January.